Parents 'overdosing' feverish kids

05/04/2006

Over half of children who develop a fever when they are ill are given incorrect doses of medicine by their parents, new research claims.

And the number of parents feeding their children high doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen has trebled in the last 20 years, according to the researchers from Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

Lead author of the study, Anne Walsh, said parents were not only giving children the wrong dosage, but leaving insufficient gaps in between administering medicine.

"Our review found that overdosing with ibuprofen is now a particular concern, both in terms of dosage and frequency," said Ms Walsh.

"We also discovered that some parents are giving their children one fever-reducing drug and then trying another type within a few hours if the first one doesn't have the desired result."

The team, who reported their findings in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, also found that parents also tried to treat fevers based on inaccurate temperature readings.

"They classify mild fever as high and actively reduce temperatures, sometime normal temperatures, with fever-reducing drugs such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

"Other parents underdose their children and, when their temperature hasn't reduced to a level they consider satisfactory, they seek professional assistance, placing burdens on already strained healthcare systems."

The authors concluded that parents should not hesitate to seek medical advice if they are unsure of how to treat their child for fever.

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